ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the characteristic of the signal transduction in BEAS cells induced by the crocidolite fibers.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The human respiratory airway epithelial cells BEAS-2B were cultured in vitro. The final 100 microg/ml crocidolite concentration and lOnM of epidermal growth factor were cocultured with BEAS-2B cells for 30 minutes and 120 minutes. Phosphorylated ERKl/2 and MEKl/2 were detected by Western Blotting using specific antibodies.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A rapid phosphorylation expression of ERK1/2 (molecular weight at 44 kD and 42 kD, also called as p44 and p42) was observed by treatment of the BEAS-2B cells with 100 microg/ml crocidolite or 100 ng/ml EGF (the proven activator of the ERK signaling pathway) at 30 minutes. This phosphorylation could be still detected by incubation the cells at 2 hours. However no expression was changed for the total ERKl/2 expression at 30 minutes or 120 minutes. Treatment of BEAS cells with 100 microg/ml crocidolite fiber or 100 ng/ml EGF led to the rapid increased phosphorylation of MEK1/2 at 30 minutes; similarly, the overexpression of MEK1/2 could last 2 hours.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The crocidolite induces the MAPK (ERK1/2 and MEK1/2) phosphorylation within a shorter time. It indicates that the MAPKs signals are involved in the process of crocidolite induced damage.</p>